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Lesson Plans
The American Nation: A History of the United States ©2000
by John A. Garraty and Mark C. Carnes
Focus Lesson 19
Chapter 24: "Woodrow Wilson and the Great War"
AP* Course Description
- Foreign Policy, 1865–1914
- The First World War
- Problems of neutrality
- Submarines
- Economic ties
- Psychological and ethnic ties
- Preparedness and pacifism
- Mobilization
- Fighting the war
- Financing the war
- War boards
- Propaganda, public opinion, civil liberties
- Wilson's Fourteen Points
- Treaty of Versailles
- Ratification fight
- Postwar demobilization
- Red scare
- Labor strife
- Wilson and Moral Diplomacy
- Problems of neutrality
Key Components
- Instructor's Manual: pp. 232–241
- Study Guide, Vol. II: pp. 129–146
- Test Bank: pp. 400–417
Key Web Sites
Given the changing nature of the Internet, you may wish to preview these sites. Check the Online Companion Web site for updated links to U.S. history sites.
- Veterans of Foreign Wars
- The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century
- World War I: Trenches on the Web
- The History Net
- Federal Reserve Board
Key Words and Terms
- "missionary diplomacy"
- "strict accountability"
- "reservationists"
- war-guilt clause
- demobilization
- Bryan-Chamorro Treaty
- Columbus, New Mexico
- Adamson Act
- Committee on Public Information
- Fourteen Points
- Article 10 of the League Covenant
- Victoriano Huerta
- Pancho Villa
- Franz Ferdinand
- Louis D. Brandeis
- John "Black Jack" Pershing
- Henry Cabot Lodge
- James M. Cox
- "government of butchers"
- "doughboys"
- "irreconcilables"
- reparations
- Twenty-One Demands
- Tampico, Mexico
- Sussex Pledge
- Zimmerman telegram
- American Expeditionary Force
- Hay-Pauncefote Treaty
- Palmer raids
- Venustiano Carranza
- Gavrilo Princip
- Edward M. House
- Herbert Hoover
- Georges Clemenceau
- William E. Borah
- J. Edgar Hoover
Suggested Pacing
Allow one week for the teaching of this chapter.
Test Strategy
The AP* exam will not ask questions about the battles of World War I (or any war). Both the multiple-choice questions and the essay prompts will ask students to analyze the political/philosophical ideas or differences of the people involved, the cause of events, and the importance of decisions. Help students dissect cause and effect like a journalist. Have them answer these questions about The Great War: Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?
Key Concepts
- Continuity of foreign policy
Students should be aware of the continuity of U.S. foreign policy before and after 1900. The nation's entrance into World War I was a continuation of its policy of using power, and at times military force, to protect its overseas economic interests. Remind students of both "gunboat diplomacy" and "dollar diplomacy." - Suppression of civil rights
World War I aggravated many of the social and economic tensions of the nation. The result was suppression of dissent. Congress passed the Espionage Act and the Sedition Act. The former gave the postmaster the power to remove from the mails any publications deemed treasonous. The latter act allowed the government to crush any anti-war opposition. The Supreme Court in Schenck v. United States upheld the constitutionality of the Sedition Act and established the principle of "a clear and present danger."
Summing Up Student Understanding
To provide students with an opportunity to practice their essay-writing skills, assign one of the suggested essays on p. 417 of the Test Bank. Or duplicate the documents on pp. 239–241 of the Instructor's Manual and combine them with the photographs on pp. 671 and 672 to create a DBQ on African American participation in World War I. A possible essay prompt might be:
Compare and contrast the attitudes of Grimké and Du Bois toward returning African American soldiers. What does Grimké hope will result from their participation in the war? How is Du Bois's attitude different?
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
You might also find these additional readings useful in developing students' background knowledge or for DBQ activities:
- American Issues: Vol. II Since 1865, edited by Unger and Tomes—Chapter 7
- Constructing the American Past, Vol. II, edited by Gorn, Roberts, and Bilhartz—Chapter 7
- American Experiences: Vol. II From 1877, edited by Roberts and Olson (secondary source readings)—Part Three